Baden-Clay has been exposed as an egocentric sybarite obsessed with his own indulgences; a man who paid scant regard to the emotional damage he inflicted on those he claimed to love.

He is not a man for whom remorse and repentance are a priority. Instead, Baden-Clay is driven by self-interest. The great tragedy is that the victim of his unbridled selfishness not only paid the ultimate price for her generosity of spirit and attempts to rebuild the family unit, but also has had her memory dragged through the mud by a guilty man increasingly desperate to cover his tracks.

Killer Gerard Baden-Clay captured on a security camera in the back of the police van transporting him to prison after his conviction yesterday. Picture: Peter Wallis

Detectives discovered that, far from the family man he pretended to be, Baden-Clay was a serial womaniser with his profile on a swingers’ ­internet site and a series of affairs. Allison left the mark of guilt on his face. As Allison Baden-Clay fought for her life, with her left hand she scratched her husband Gerard’s right cheek. Allison had been on the ground at the back of the carport, next to the couple’s silver Holden Captiva. The Holden Captiva where police found Allison’s blood in the boot, along a plastic trim. A blonde hair was found in the dried blood.

On Friday 1st August it’sWear Yellow for Allison Baden-Clay Day. This day is not about raising money. Instead Allison’s friends and family asks you to wear some yellow and perform an act of kindness (big or small) in memory of Allison.

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If you wish to donate money to The Late Allison Baden-Clay Children’s Trust Fund, you can do so using these details

Two years ago the moment I saw the notorious TV interview with GBC and OW, I KNEW that this guy was lying and that we would sadly never see Allison alive again. The body language was so obvious to me he might as well have had an “I killed her” notice pasted to his forehead. He radiated evil, very difficult to explain such an awareness in a logical way.

The feeling of utter revulsion about what he had done, even though I did not know the specifics then, caused me to follow this case since that day. Thanks to Moonlight and everyone else here with whom I have been able to share part of this journey.

Unfortunately today on the day we have all been waiting for so very long, the day that justice was finally served for Allison, I had commitments that prevented me from being online. But I did of course hear the news and I am overjoyed that the jury did reach the right verdict.

It will not bring Allison back, but a very callous, evil man has been unmasked and has been stopped from ruining any further lives by cunning deception and manipulation.

I have a feeling there may have been more complicity from one or more ‘others’ than what has been admitted to at this point. Time will tell…

RIP Allison!!! You were very much loved and appreciated. You have always been and your memory will always be like a ray of sunshine!

And good for you Moonlight, with your kind and caring heart. You have never wavered in this case, have spent hours too countless to mention in keeping justice for Allison alive. That you were part of the search for Allison speaks volumes of who you are. I am so sorry to hear about the loss of your beloved horse.

May history record that Moonlight’s beloved horse was part of the search team for Allison Dickie Baden Clay.
May his beautiful horse soul rest in peace.
As I recall this horse wanted to head in the “right” direction all along, having instructutions “We are looking for Allison.”
A very special life.

It does make you wonder sometimes if some defence lawyers are at all ethical or they just take on a case for the sake of the money. I suspect that some will do whatever it takes to defend a client even if they believe their client is guilty.

G’day Dan , thanks for that link ….
You’re all probably aware of my dislike of lawyers and Dan’s link is yet another example of just how low they sink to try and free the guilty.
I wonder if the Honorable (now there’s an oxymoron) Mr Byrne and Dr Robertson would like to join us here and explain to the Baden Clay Girls why the pair of them attempted to taint not only their mothers name but gave a testimony of untruths …
Reading Dr Robertson’s history one would never trust him but more so Mr Byrne who would have been proud to see a wife killer released to bring up 3 children who’s Mum’s life he snuffed out.
Adjectives evade me to describe just how low this pathetic poor excuse for a human is and how low he will stoop and for what ??
Does he get enjoyment placing absolute scum back into situations where they can again ruin more lives ? Is it for money ? Does he think it’s a game ?
Personally I think he should be struck off and never again allowed to ply his slime trade in an attempt to send another murderer back into mainstream Australia to hurt once again.

Sorry to rant , but he (Mr Byrne) is no better than the proven wife killer GBC is .

To all you good folk who for two long years fought for Justice for Allison I cant imagine how you and I would be today if Mr Byrne and his band of merry liars had not been exposed and the jury given the truth. I can tell you now , we’d be a devastated and broken group … however thanks to many many individuals and groups justice has been served.

This is not over yet , you can see it in the faces and voices of the cops , they will be like a mob of Jack Russell’s and they’ll never let go until they are satisfied they can do no more.

Seeing Det Ainsworth sniffing about give me hope others will be exposed for their part in helping Gerard attempt to cover his trail.

I feel EXACTLY the same Mike, and can not say it any better!! I find it repulsive that such despicable behaviour can be allowed in the name of justice!! It’s bad enough that Gerard and his family participated in a vile yet unsuccessful attempt at character assassination. But to see someone supposed to uphold the law do so was terrible.

2. Justin Quill, director of Kelly Hazel Quill Lawyers, advised the ABC that Baden-Clay may have “very good” grounds to appeal the conviction.

Justin Quill, “Potentially there is an appeal on conviction – that could be on a whole stack of grounds. Those grounds could be the exclusion of particular pieces of evidence. It could be taking the judge to task on the precise wording of the charge or the answers to the questions. Baden-Clay will not be able to appeal the length of the sentence.”

I think it’s up to the courts to decide whether there’s enough grounds to appeal in the first instance. If it’s deemed that there is, I think unless they come up with some startling evidence, they have buckleys. There’s always legal argy-bargy but I think that although it seemed infuriating to me at times, and very worrying, Justice Byrne was careful with his wording and direction to the jury throughout the trial. No doubt he has many years of experience of the arguments that will be raised in appeals like this.

When I read this this morning, I couldn’t help but wonder what Olivia thinks of her brother now. No doubt the QPS had gathered all of this information during the investigation. How will she explain this away? What does her husband, the Townsville North Baptist Church pastor think of it and explain it to his flock?

I mean honestly. “Allison was depressed, gained weight and lost her libido. My poor brother, who did everything in that house, had to find solace somewhere.” Really? Even if Olivia by some huge stretch of the imagination convinced herself that GBC was innocent of murdering his wife, that Allison had walked on a dark night to Kholo Bridge and lay under a bridge to die, how does she explain this away? Her brother the morally corrupt, deceiving, lying husband… He spread his net wide and has affected so many.

I’m guessing there would be much hand-wringing and heart-searching between Olivia and Ian Walton right now. As for EBC and NBC, who knows? They are like alien human beings to me.

I felt that OW was lying just as much as her brother, she was low saying what she did about Allison in the car, when Allison was probably pregnant. OW, in person, has been described as “strange”. Disgusting family. Perhaps they’ll explain it away so that they can live with themselves, let us hope that their flock has more brains that to continue to follow them blindly, as does happen with some groups of people.

Good old Brucy does get around. This subject was raised in 2012, with regard to the culture in some parts of 4069. One of the stories is that the car keys are put into a bowl and then people would choose a set, and off they would go with someone. This type of thing has been going on for 30 years, as older generations have advised…

Justice Byrne made the comments after the jury left the room following the conclusion of the Crown’s evidence. They were unable to be reported at the time for legal reasons. But the next day the defence announced Baden-Clay would give evidence.

Crown prosecutor Todd Fuller QC told the jury Baden-Clay had blown Allison’s depression out of all proportion to try to avoid conviction.

Justice Byrne made the remarks in discussions with the defence and prosecution about the comments he planned to make in his summing up.

“The reason why I am anxious about it is I don’t want to be put in the position where I am constructing a straw man,” he said at the time. “Where the jury looks at it and says that proposition is preposterous. How could it be suicide? What did she do? Walk 13km in the dark to the bridge along the road, somehow getting entwined in her hair on the way the leaves that were found at the back entry? And then how did she commit suicide when she got there? Because they may reason, as Sherlock Holmes used to, that once you eliminate all that is impossible, what remains, however improbable, must be the truth.”

The defense had no defense to build and that explains why they tried to wiggle out by clinging to the last straw of ‘no case to answer’ and hoping that the judge would be stupid enough to be persuaded by that claim. Luckily, Justice Byrne applied the kind of logic that the jury would be expected to apply, which would lead to an absurdity: suicide after walking 13 km to the bridge in the dead of night with not a light to go by and no footpath to assist the treck, and finally suicide with no marks left. Yeah right.

The attempt by the defense to slip out by proposing ‘no case to answer’ was really a desperate one because as is shown in their adducing of evidence that they had barely anything to build a defense with.

The next desperate attempt was to let GBC give evidence when he didn’t have to. Possibly in some kind of attempt to make him look innocent and get the jury on his side.

The only winners in this unethical approach is the defense lawyer who knew that they had no case but went with it as far as possible to extract as much money out of GBC as he could. Not bad money.

True Dan, but GBC was not paying the money. We paid it. Personally, I think the defense would’ve strongly advised their client not to take the stand. But good old Gerard knew better. He literally shot himself in the foot and showed his true character, which hung him along with all the circumstantial evidence presented by the Crown. I don’t think GBC could ever look innocent. The defense were desperate alright and lost big time.

Well ever human deserves a fair trial, however he should have been strongly encouraged to think about his plea. Then again, his personality type would have prevented him from admitting fault and so the lies continued to the end. I’m sure he will die lying. What a waste of a human.

GBC’s ego is what I believe kept him in jail, along with karma that came and smacked him on the bottom.

If GerRED didn’t think he was smarter than everyone, thinking he could run the show, getting himself out of murder, with his own “suicide theory”, reading his law books, his lawyers would have got him off, the way they do.

I think GBC’s original solicitors walked away because of GBC’s ego, seeing that they won’t win.

Pretty good, huh, if you think about it? He did the deed and then, through his ego and arrogance, tripped himself up.

I don’t think that the fear of the backlash of public opinion will allow an Appeal to be successful.

Moonlight, yeah … I have to wonder. He wouldn’t have been an easy client to deal with. So sure of himself and convinced he could pull this off. Can’t imagine the hell it was dealing with the clan as well.

It would have been so tempting to let him drop himself in it. “Yes, go ahead and defend yourself. That’s a great idea!”

This crime will go down as one of the worst in Australian recorded history.
Most dastardly, most salacious, most vulgar and most low. Lower than a snake’s belly.
Introduce A Cur of the lowest kind.
And he thought he could get away with it.
He thought he was smarter than the rest.
He used a smear campaign to try and sully her reputation.
That smear campaign occurred after her death, most notably publicly in the Court of Law, in Brisbane Queensland Australia.
That alone is an abominable sin.
That same low down smear campaign was somehow supposed to exonerate and extol his reputation. The reputation of a Cur.

Yes QCL, Gerard has always thought he was smarter than everyone, and able to talk himself out of anything. He thought it was a smart idea to take the stand, he could bluff and bluster his way out of it with his smooth voice and charming ways. Not this time. No doubt this case will be remembered in the Australian criminal history books. Gerard is a law unto himself, he feels entitled to lie under oath in the Supreme Court of Queensland. I’d bet my bottom dollar right now he is cursing Allison for scratching him and putting him where he is now!

I find people like Gerard very frightening. If/when he comes out of prison, the statistics are high that he will commit a similar offence in a similar manner. Why? Because he believes he can get away with it. Yesterday when he was found guilty of murdering his wife Allison, he couldn’t breathe (interrupting Priscilla Dickie’s emotional reading of her victim impact statement), and shook violently on the stand. Why? Because he felt sorry for himself, knowing where he was going for the next 13 years at least. He has never considered anyone else in his life, and this was the first time he was being ‘genuine’ and not lying. He was in fear because no-one will protect him now.

Exactly. He felt fear, probably for the first time. This is but a taste of what he put Allison through. Jail will be no picnic for him. I suspected he would appeal but I also think he’s got zero chance of being successful with it.

” Yesterday when he was found guilty of murdering his wife Allison, he couldn’t breathe (interrupting Priscilla Dickie’s emotional reading of her victim impact statement), and shook violently on the stand ”

After 2 years of waiting followed by weeks of lies , a smear campaign , tales of deceit , a family torn apart by one man in a blur we had a guilty verdict , victim impact statements and sentencing … I sat here at my computer in a tiny remote Victorian town trying to come to terms with swift justice after the slow tedious , repetitive process of law … I informed Diane of Kate Kyriacous’s latest tweet saying that GBC was having breathing difficulties , her response was not one of her usual concerned thoughts but she stated in a quiet but terse manner ……..

” Go Allison , choke the bastard , let him feel as you would’ve , show the world your victim impact statement ”

It was a defining moment as it sunk in the depths this man and his despicable family have dragged this great country down to … the trial of multiculturalism failed in a moment and I found myself thinking send these bastards back from whence they came seeking a better life and they have the audacity to think they can do as they please , well ‘Hyphen Seekers’ you’ve run your race , your lives are in tatters , marriages are on the rocks , religious beliefs are gone and normal Aussie’s like our group here have had enough and together with many many other groups and individuals have banded together as one and stopped you and your evil ways … now get out of our lives and the lives of your granddaughters … you’re no longer welcome , needed or wanted , my dear departed Mum was not one to use profanity of any sort but I can hear her words , she simply say with tightened lips ……….. ” Piss Off “

The Supreme Court have released this document now that the verdict has been reached. It’s from the legal pre-trial debate in February and gives an interesting insight into what was discussed by the defense and prosecution as being allowable, and ruled as such by the Judge. It goes into some detail about what Dr Milne was allowed to discuss from the autopsy on Allison and what he was not. Click on the full text pdf here: http://www.sclqld.org.au/caselaw/QSC/2014/156

By Golly , I am , and should be allowed to testify at any appeal , infact I’m genuinely surprised I was not called upon to do so … let me explain.

From the above link ….
” CRIMINAL LAW – EVIDENCE – ADMISSIBILITY – OPINION EVIDENCE – EXPERT OPINION – MEDICAL EVIDENCE – whether interpretation of scratch marks is within the common experience of laypersons – whether evidence of injury interpretation is based on a reliable body of knowledge or experience.”

I have photographic proof that as a 17 year old attending my brother’s wedding I had a moustache therefore I was already shaving … today I’m 61 yrs of age and still have a moustache , although it’s now white (ok , a whitish grey ! , oright It’s bluddy grey ! lol )

That gives me 44 yrs of shaving experience around the said ‘ mo’ and also around my extended side burns , hell , if that’s not enough to be an expert at shaving , nicks , cuts , missed bits then I’m a dismal failure.

Now in my expert opinion from photographs of GBC there is no way possible those marks were made by a razor.
A cut or nic in my experience only occurs very rarely and only with a new or seldom used razor and NEVER with a blunt item .

Secondly if you observe the area on GBC’s face that was marked is infact a ‘ fleshy’ spot , with no bone under it therefore nothing but a moveable piece of flesh that would give way making it impossible to cut using a ‘safety razor ‘ designed to protect from abnormal use.

With the thousands of times I have removed facial growth I’d estimate I have cut or nicked myself on no more the 10 – 15 occasions and that the depth of the abrasion was so small it would be invisible in a day or so.

Given GBC’s version of what occurred is ludicrous , if you began cutting away flesh the natural reaction is to stop , not to scrape away again and again and then to have us believe you’d call upon a child to adhere a dressing is although feasible to me quite unnatural unless you needed that child to remember the supposed cut.

Therefore (in my finest Rumpole voice) …

Ladies and Gentlemen of the jury in my expert opinion those marks are consistent with fingernail scratches and have nothing to do with the use of a Safety Razor and I say the defendant is a LIAR !!

Having given my expert testimony I could then step down and find where Brisbane’s version of ‘Pommeroy’s Wine Bar ‘ is and partake in a few chilled beverages.

You sat shaking uncontrollably after you were judged guilty of your wife’s murder, and I fear some of the proceedings that followed might have escaped your attention. Let me recap.

Judge John Byrne, in the temperate tones of a senior judge, told us that while you had no criminal history, you were certainly not of good character.

We’d already learnt that.

You see Gerard a decent man would never belittle his wife in the way you did each day. He wouldn’t reduce women to play things, telling the world on a website he didn’t want to be married, and taking his mistress along for a ride.

He wouldn’t laugh at his wife’s underclothes, or tell her she smelled. He’d be bright enough to understand he married up the chain, so to speak, and would treasure every day his wife wanted to be by his side.

Knowing he killed her, Gerard, a decent man couldn’t sit in court besmirching her reputation, telling fanciful stories of her having suicidal tendencies and being unable to cope.

He wouldn’t be able to look his or her parents in the eye, from the witness stand, and paint such an utterly untrue story, knowing that his own daughters would eventually read it.

He couldn’t, after killing his wife, calmly cut over scratch marks engraved by his dying wife, pack his worried children’s lunch, all the time drafting such a complex and sordid lie.

That brings me to how you have treated your children Gerard. A decent man could never have taken their mother away from them in the dead of night. He couldn’t look them in the eye the next morning, going about his business as though nothing had happened.

Gerard, I remember everything about the funeral of my father. Despite being a child, the tiniest images stick. Your daughters will remember you putting your arms around them during the funeral of their own mother. And they’ll know you were the reason for their tears.

Yes, Gerard, you might not have heard Allison’s mother Priscilla, through your blubbering in court, explain how your children miss their mother terribly and cry for her at night.

What lies did you tell them that night of Allison’s funeral, as they struggled with the question of why their mummy didn’t come home?

A decent man, Gerard, would understand how they would need her, now each night, and later as they navigate the curses and triumphs of being a teenager.

They’ll miss her at each birthday and Christmas, at their graduation, and at little junctures, like the hug only a mother can give. Remember she didn’t leave them. You took her away.

A decent man would know that. He’d know they’d want to hug her on their wedding day, and ask her advice as, down the track, they bring up their own children.

Thank goodness Allison’s parents are in their lives to light the memory spark if it ever risks fading.

You might not have heard their victim impact statements, given your post-verdict shaking and carrying on, but Geoff Dickie told you he’d given you permission to marry his daughter, never to harm her.

A father should never have to say that Gerard.

The strength of Allison’s mother Priscilla, through this sickening ordeal, gave us a glimpse of Allison’s strength. “God bless my daughter,’’ she told us to our own quiet cheers, “for leaving those scratch marks on Gerard’s face.’’

They’ll heal Gerard. They probably already have. But your lack of decency – apart from the murder of your wife – has been laid bare forever.

“I know you did it,’’ Allison’s brother Ashley told you, “and you know you did it – and whatever time you spend in jail will never be enough for taking the life of my beautiful sister Allison.’’

In 15 years’ time, Gerard, when parole comes your way, it won’t only be Allison’s brother reminding decision-makers of one more comment made by Judge John Byrne.

“You are given to lies and other deception,’’ Judge Byrne ruled, “so much so that whatever you may say on any application for parole 15 years or more hence, will need to be assessed with considerable scepticism.”

They should have called on you Mike. I am surprised they didn’t.
You just reminded me of something Rumpole:
“I could win most of my cases if it weren’t for the clients. Clients have no tact, no bloody sensitivity. They will waltz into the witness box and blurt out things that are far better left… unblurted.”

I think not GHS. His father most probably is a narcissist, his mother a ‘victim’ type personality. Both totally delusional, EBC making a comment in court the day I sat behind them blaming the counsellor for recommending that Allison discuss her emotions with GBC saying ‘that was silly of her”. Olivia, well we’ve all seen she’s delusional too, and she and her father happy to take the stand and lie under oath in their delusion. I think the only fairly ‘normal’ member of the BC family is his brother Adam.

I’ve had internet problems the last few days. Couldn’t read any blogs for some reason and nothing would load. Thanks for all the updates … you’ve got me up to speed on what’s happened since the conviction.

The appeal is predictable but as I posted earlier, I think it’s doomed to failure. He’s been totally exposed now and it seems unlikely any appeal would be allowed. No doubt the defence will be assiduously picking holes wherever they can but given the rug was pretty holey to start with, it won’t be easy.

Bought my yellow ribbon and have been wearing it this week. I like the idea of remembering Allison through an act of kindness. Seems very appropriate and symbolic. Her goodness and decency should be celebrated and her family should know that she did not die in vain. We will remember her. I think her greatest legacy will be towards others who have suffered through domestic violence. This insidious plague infects all socioeconomic groups but as we’ve seen, some are better at covering up who they are.

But not forever .. the truth will win out in the end. Won’t it Gerard?

We have something like that installed but I think it is a combination of ISP and line problems. It’s been off and on for a while. Something about this area and the increased net traffic I think. Thank you though! All good for now so let’s hope it stays that way.